Airborne

I was so pleased with the ease with which I could control the simple drone I've already invested in a slightly more sophisticated model. The LE-IDEA IDEA10 WiFi FPV Drone uses GPS to maintain its position in the air and has a built in wide angle view camera for photos and video.



As the arms and propellers fold up it fits very neatly in the carry case provided



Today I had my first test flight with it.

short video


still photo


The controller has the facility to hold a mobile phone which can be used to see what the camera sees and to control the flight. Something to try another time when I have had more practice. The drone has three flight speeds. Its slow speed is somewhat faster that that of the simple drone I bought.

There is a pre flight routine which has to be gone through to check and align the gyro and gps which takes a minute or two.

Droning On

One of the things I have hankered for over the past few years is a drone. One with a camera as I fancy taking some aerial photography for a change. It would show a different aspect of the village and local farming. First things first though. Would my remaining 'little grey cell' be capable of fast enough decision making to control one? A decent drone with HD resolution still and movie taking abilities can be an expensive investment. About a decode ago I bought a model helicopter with the same ideas in mind and found its operation outside my abilities.

A few days ago I spotted a drone on sale on Amazon. It is designed with children in mind and doesn't have a camera but it was an ideal price for trying out and learning to fly one. Even better was the price. With the sale discount plus a discount voucher it cost me less than £19.  It seemed too cheap to be of any real use but having read dozens of really good reviews and watched a user video on YouTube I ordered one.

 

On unpacking the first task was to remove the propellers and add the guards which protect the drone in case of collision and make it safer to use. The controller seems small but I soon got used to operating it.



Here it is, hand held to show the size




Well, I've had a couple of practice sessions with it in the garden and am delighted to find it relatively easy to control. Once it has been paired with the controller a press of the take off button and it rises to about 8 feet in the air and hovers automatically. Only one crash so far and the protectors saved the drone from being damaged. I was going to try videoing it in operation today but it has started to rain and strong winds are forecast . That will have to wait for another day.